


It's Just a Little Secret

by CalicoNekoChi



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Crossdressing, Duel Monsters, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-02-16 14:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2273427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CalicoNekoChi/pseuds/CalicoNekoChi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren Mizushima is the new transfer student at Seto Kaiba's famous Duel Academy. Like all transfers, he is placed into the Slifer Red dorm - despite his high entrance exam scores. Upon arrival, he learns of a Tag Duel tournament known as Tag Force, that will be taking place on Duel Academy Island three months from then. For that tournament, he needs a partner. To get a partner, this shy new student needs to develop some friendships.<br/>However, when the mysterious Luetta Garvin takes a peculiar interest in the young transfer student, several people are starting to question just what is Ren's 'little secret'.</p>
<p>Based off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force games. This is an updated version of MewZeairu's It's Just a Little Secret (My Fanfiction.net account name). There is cross dressing in this story!</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Just a Little Secret

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [It's Just a Little Secret](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/72042) by MewZeairu. 



> A/N: It has been an incredibly long time since I’ve written anything for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise! To be frank, I didn’t even think I’d pick this up again – but, apparently, miracles actually are possible. There is a select group of you who are well acquainted with me, MewZeairu, and this story, and then there may be some newcomers. IJaLS follows very closely to its original version, but, this time, it follows more closely to the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force games. It is, now, written entirely in third person limited – so we only know as much as Ren, the one this story is following, knows. Also, the names, decks, and appearances of my OCs have altered. The story itself is whimsical to begin, but it is much more mature than my original version, as I am now an eighteen year old college student with a satirical sense of humor and a knowledge of the French language.  
> So, IJaLS was my second fanfiction and my first Yu-Gi-Oh! GX writing. The American names will be used in this. Here I say, you must hit the back button immediately if you don’t like the 4Kids names or OCs.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do NOT own: any piece of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, Kazuki Takahashi does (and 4Kids technically has claims too). I also do NOT own the idea of cross dressing. I ONLY own my OCs.

It’s Just a Little Secret

Chapter One

Have you ever wanted something so badly you would do anything to get it? Money? Fame? Maybe something more selfless like saving the life of the one you cherished most? Then, for similarities’ sake, you have arrived at the right place, for this is a tale much like others resounding before it… yet, if it were not so memorable, so necessary to our developing minds, would the question still persist? Of course not! Just as the questions about our morality – our definitions of heroism and malice, if you will – play a continuous role in our conscious. After all, heroism, like secrets, takes on many forms and shines in many different lights – lights that some refer to as perspective. Regardless of how many perspectives arise and flourish, however, a simple fact about heroism remains constant:

_There exists a hero, a villain, and an anti-hero in each of us._

It will never be a secret. Within all of our hearts, down to the smallest fragment of our very existence, lies this tri-burden. But, what exactly makes any of these three? Why are some heroes and others villains? Literary characteristics have placed traits upon the three categories, successfully pushing a specific image into our brains… but, does a hero _really_ have to be courageous? And does a villain truly have no morals? An anti-hero no reason? We all sit and ponder now, do we not? Certainly there is more…

In truth, everyone’s personality, secrets, and motives tend to drive how we perceive them as well as their actions – which also directly affect how they are perceived by society.  All of our reasons vary. Who are we to justify or discredit someone else? But, then again, how do we know whether or not we are merely defending ourselves against another mystery? Desires drive us, secrets hide us, and actions blind us to our own morality. It makes it hard to even ask how deep can a secret become before deters a hero? All of the answers we present will differ, after all.

That is where discussion and realization occurs… that is where the identity of this tale’s true hero lies.

 

Monday, May 1st

Transference First Day

 

Clear blue skies, a warm, gentle breeze, and salty air amidst a forest ridden island in the Pacific Ocean greeted the students of Duel Academy as they made their way to the campus’ main building for the classes of the day. For the students, today was a day like any other: rigorous classes, leisurely chats, and dramatic duels. The Academy’s faculty, however, were busy preparing for the arrival of the new transfer student that morning. A dorm room in the Slifer Red dormitory – if one could actually call it that – had been prepared during Sunday’s weekly Tag Duel Tournament and make up work had been collected by the teachers. Luckily for the new student, only a single month had passed since Duel Academy opened its doors for this academic year.

Many of the teachers, however, were hardly concerned about him catching up due to his high scores on the admittance exam. For someone who had not been to a preparatory school, it was rather impressive. So much so, that these same teachers believed the Slifer Red would quickly rise through the ranks to at least Ra Yellow by the end of his first year, and an Obelisk before his final year danced around.

With his high expectations and the mere fact that he was a transfer student buzzing throughout the campus that weekend, the Slifer Red dorm was, once again, excited. For the past month, the top freshman duelist – Jaden Yuki – had been a moral raiser for the lowly dorm and now they were getting another ‘amazing’ student? Stupendous! Slifer must have been blessed that year!

Well, in some people’s minds. Naturally, there were some who had their doubts. If this new student was supposed to be so ‘fantastic’, why would he remain in Slifer Red? It was – in the opinions of the vast majority – a train wreck! There was hardly a Slifer that voluntarily lived in the dorm set aside for the ‘barely made its’ – though Jaden’s willing return from his chance at Ra Yellow was more than surprising – so why would this transfer desire such a fate?! He was only placed in Slifer Red due to their ‘transfer’ status!

Yet, who knew, right? The fact truly was: the whole campus was buzzing about the arrival of the new transfer student… much to his actual dismay.

‘ _This is too much..._ ’ The brunet transfer student thought bitterly as he stepped through the gray, automatic doors into the Headmaster’s, Chancellor Sheppard, immense office. His brown eyes darted around, capturing the scenery around him. Like the early morning light drifting in through the back wall’s spacious windows, and how elegantly said light captured the room’s beauty with its own radiance. Eventually, he looked from the expansive beige carpet to where the Chancellor sat at his large, ebony desk (accompanied by an evergreen tree-like plant and a giant, gray office chair).

“…Are you Chancellor Sheppard?” The Headmaster’s small gray eyes looked upon the small student before him and smiled warmly. It had little effect in making the shaking adolescent feel more welcomed, but the Chancellor’s unthreatening appearance allowed more peaceful thoughts to enter his mind. After all, Chancellor Sheppard was actually a very friendly, endearing man in his later years of life. He was just a plump teddy bear wearing a burgundy Academy issued uniform. The bald man even had the kind, beady eyes and thick (facial) hair upon his fair skin to prove it! A side other than this joyous one was rare, but existed. Though, when his roaring voice emerged from its cave, a remnant of such a person was more than evident.

“Indeed I am, and you must be Ren Mizushima, correct? Welcome to Duel Academy!” Chancellor Sheppard exclaimed in a grandiose voice, accompanied by various prolonged syllables. “As you know, here at the Academy, we aim to create the next generation of duelists while providing the best educational experience possible. Only those who study hard can become the next King of Games, after all. I suppose you’ll have to see for yourself, though. Class will be beginning soon, you might as well head down to the classroom to speak with Professor Crowler, Ren.”

Ren stood there, absorbing the information delivered to him, occasionally nodding his head until his red baseball cap almost toppled off of his head as he was dismissed. Without a single ounce of hesitation, his small hands flew to his head, keeping said cap upon his scruffy brown hair with the most determination he had displayed since he had arrived at the Academy. That determination was unable to mask the pink dusting of embarrassment upon his fair face though. It even failed to mask it in his faint “Yes sir!” and movement to flee the office as quickly as he possibly could!

Though, Chancellor Sheppard just found Ren’s show to be amusing. Such an odd boy he was… And that was when it hit him. The tournament!

He stood from his large chair and let out a “One more thing!” as Ren encroached upon the automatic door. Said student halted in his tracks and cocked his head to see the elder man staring at him with that same playful expression he’d had on earlier. “The Tag Force tag duel tournament will be held on campus in three months. We hold tag duels you can use for practice with your friends every Sunday. You’ll learn a lot from them, both about yourself and your partner. Those lessons are things to keep in mind when trying to get a partner for the actual tournament.”

“…Sir?”

The Chancellor chuckled softly, shaking his head and closing his eyes. “Amidst your studies, make friends and have fun. It’s the only way to get a partner for the tournament.”

There was something about how he spoke that kept Ren grounded there for some time after he’d finished speaking. It was as if it were an unspoken ‘good luck’ with fatherly intentions. However, the brunet staked it on his need for a new dismissal and not some sentimental remnant of what he was wishing inside of his mind. A dismissal he received shortly after from the large man. “Now, go to class Ren. Today’s a big day for you.”

Ren stood there a moment longer, gathering his conscious until he nodded and smiled for the first time that day, “…Thanks sir. I’ll do my best today.”

 

Many questioned the existence of a pricey Academy on an island out in the Pacific whose sole aim was to properly educate the next generation of duelists. But, this _was_ Kaiba in question. Everyone knew how important games like Duel Monsters was to the prestigious CEO, so the true question was why people were even inquiring to begin with. As rumors around Domino City went, Duel Academy was the closest thing to a child Seto Kaiba had gotten in the ten years after Kaiba Land had opened. Those rumors were not deaf either, as evident by the grandeur of the main campus building alone. This building was a complex masterpiece of the newest and best KaibaCorp technologies upon the Pacific Island’s luscious canvas. Kaiba had obviously picked it out carefully, just as the buildings upon the island were carefully constructed and watched over.

The best young duelists from all over Japan naturally flocked to such a place. These adolescents were the cream of the crop, the ‘one in a million’s. Yes, even in the duelists in the ‘dropout’ dorm were more formidable than many average duelists in the world’s cities. Though, few of the Slifers could stand a chance against a Ra or Obelisk. These three colors inevitably segregated the Academy. Many students were rather pleasant to lower ranks. Then there were those snooty bunch – mostly Obelisk Blues – that would refuse to even spare a breath on a Slifer, and even some Ra Yellows.

This fact did not go unnoticed by many. Even Ren looked down upon his red academy issued coat with subtle animosity at the knowledge of his lowly rank. In truth, it the Slifer title was not bothering the young brunet. It was the thoughts of being judged or ignored by some people _because_ of that red coat that was bothering him. He was here at Duel Academy to duel dammit! Then again, even _that_ was not even a scratch on his diamond problem. Ren was unable to look away from the windows of the building’s hallways as he walked to the classroom. Echoes of speech and laughter could be heard coming from different halls and rooms, completely sheathing the sound of his boots against the linoleum. 

“It’s the dorm he’s in…” The brunet murmured through a sigh. “…This could be dangerous… I don’t…” His footsteps came to a halt in front of the classroom, but instead of going in, he turned around and faced the windows again. Brown eyes set upon his reflection, then to the cement path leading to the building and the dirt paths heading to the forest hidden dorms. In the distance, the harbor could be seen, and beyond that? Home.

“I can’t…” Little tears began welling up in Ren’s chocolate orbs, making him bring his hands up to wipe them away before they could stain his cheeks or scruffy brown hair. It was short, just poking out of his hat and teasing his neck and hiding some of his ears and eyes. Out of everything, it was the most ‘masculine’ thing upon his form. Ren was just about 5’3” with a small, boxy figure and an ‘effeminate’… well, everything. His eyebrows, eyelashes, facial structure, hell! Even his voice was that of a prepubescent boy! All in all, puberty had _not_ done its job on Ren – and wherever that little devil was, it was probably staring and laughing at the Slifer while he wiped his eyes.

Through his drying tears, the Slifer let out a small chuckle and turned back to the classroom dorm. “It’s funny… being only able to hope once again…” That slowly pace voice drifted from thin lips, right before the doors flew open in front of him to reveal… a long blond ponytail.

“There’s a new student coming today. His scores on the admittance test were… rather impressive. This may be my chance to get rid of dropout boy… Hahaha…” The blond laughed quietly as students filed into the classroom. Ren looked over the blue academy issued coat he was wearing and how tight those black pants on his skinny legs were. This could not be Professor Crowler, could it?

“Umm… excuse me?”

“…?!” Dr. Crowler wheeled around with the most shocked expression upon his lips. But he was not the only surprised one. Ren covered his mouth with one hand to keep himself from screaming – or laughing, either one – at the sight of the man before him. Now, it the lavender lip stick, pale skin, and moon earrings was not what was freaking out the transfer student. It was the way his large teeth appeared like an attacking shark between purple lips that was frightening the poor teen. “How long have you been there?!”

“U-um, I just g-got here–” Ren attempted to say before he was promptly cut off by Dr. Crowler’s grumpy “Ahem!” and hands upon his hips. The brunet fell silent, waiting for his new professor to speak again.

Dr. Crowler glowered at the young man, a serious look upon his face again, “My name is Dr. Vellian Crowler. And you are?”

“R… Ren Mizushima, sir!” Said student responded quickly, nearly saluting the professor before him. Dr. Crowler raised a brow at him, not easing up for a second. “Ah, so _you’re_ the new transfer. Well, you will be needing some kind of conversation starter, yes? I, personally, am the top teacher in the entire Academy by far. So, feel free to brag about me to your friends–”

And all too soon the blond was, once again, interrupted by a student’s voice. Just, this time, it happened to be a different brunet Slifer. “Yeah! I beat you here!” The fast, tenor voice of Jaden Yuki pushed through Dr. Crowler’s words just as his figure erupted through the door like a volcano – nearly knocking Ren down in the process.

“Aww, wait up, Jaden!” Another male’s voice followed, those still a tenor, this voice was slower and more dragged out. An aquamarine haired boy raced in after the brunet, and thankfully for Ren, not at the same speed as Jaden or else he would have been a snow plowed tree in seconds.

“Silence! Or it’s detention for you!” The angry professor hissed. All of the students around jumped at the sound of Dr. Crowler’s voice – giving the scene more attention than it deserved – and Jaden exclaimed “No, not that!” as the professor turned to the new student with a wicked grin. “Ren, don’t become a slacker like him.”

Despite a rather quizzical expression, Jaden and Syrus, as well as the now arriving Chumley Huffington, went to some seats in the center row of the classroom. The latter seemed out of breath while the slimmer two just laughed and talked about something too distant for Ren’s ears to pick up upon. He watched them go for a while, even looking around at other students in the classroom, until Dr. Crowler began another monologue.

“Now, where was I…? Oh yes! I’ll explain what I expect from you in class. It begins promptly at eight every morning from Monday to Saturday and ends at three forty-five. Do **not** be late! Study hard and you’ll catch up in no time!” He droned, eyeing the brown eyed teen before him. “You have a little time ‘til class starts. Talk to the other kids and make some new friends!” Which was Crowler speech for ‘Get out of my face’, Ren perceived.

He did just that though, regardless of what the thin blond actually meant by ‘make some new friends’. Incidentally, the Slifer made a beeline to try and pass the three Slifers he had seen come in while Dr. Crowler was talking to him. It failed exponentially though. The moment he was close enough, Jaden’s voice called out to him with “Hey, you’re the new kid, right?”

Ren’s heart dropped as he turned his head up to look at the dual-colored brunet at one of the desks. Jaden had the largest smile anyone could ever have, one that just seemed to enlarge as the seconds passed. His large, chocolate eyes were lit with a special fire as he bounded towards the smaller boy. “I’ve heard all about you! Ain’t you the one Professor Banner’s been overjoyed about this week?”

"Jay! He hasn’t been here, how would he know?” The aquamarine haired student called, coming over to Jaden’s side. “I’m Syrus Truesdale by the way.” He smiled politely to Ren, getting a halfhearted grin in return. “You’re the second transfer we’ve gotten this month! …Though, you’ll both get better grades than me in no time.” Syrus’ smile turned into a look of disappointment soon after. His large hazel eyes drifted away behind the lenses of his small, round glasses – placed so delicately upon his pale face – as he sighed and rubbed his small arm. The cynical teen was shorter than Ren, but his wild blue locks made up for some of the height difference between them. Though, Jaden ‘towered’ above the two of them.  

“And I’m Jaden Yuki, the one and only top frosh duelist!” He exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Jaden had a faint tan to his fair skin and big, bright chocolate orbs that conveyed every emotion he possessed. Then there was his hair peculiar hair do. It was layered into two sections: the bottom an intense, dark brown and the top a near-burnt-orange-brown. But the coloring was the most normal thing about those fluffy locks by far when compared to the… odd… fashion they were in. A Kuriboh-like fashion, to be precise. It did not fail to mystify Ren as he looked over the sturdy Slifer, then back to his smaller friend.

The new student smiled faintly between them, averting his eyes from Jaden’s and nodding. “I’m Ren Mizushima. But you might already know that…”

“It’s sweet to meet ya! Hope we get to duel soon!” And all too quickly, the brunet’s focus was lost to the prospect of a new person to duel. Syrus sighed and laughed, just as the approaching Chumley did. “You new?”

“Indeed I am.” The other nodded to the larger adolescent who flashed him a decent smile. “I’m Chumley. Chumley Huffington. I flunked a year so I’m still a freshman.” He explained and took his place at a dazing Jaden’s other side. Chumley was like Chancellor Sheppard, except more of a koala. His black hair had two, spikey tuffs that appeared like ears while the rest was pressed against his head. That was far from all too! The Slifer’s nose was large, dark, – while the rest of his plump face was pale – and teardrop shaped. His arms and body were just as rounded and big, giving him an actual koala-like appearance. Yet, Ren noted a final thing: his jacket. Normal academy issued jackets had the dorm color as the base with a darker line of that color and white area upon the chest, collar, and cuffs. But Chumley’s was nearly the reverse, though the white area remained white on the chest. How perplexing… though, he said he’d been in Slifer for two years.

“It’s great to meet you three.” Ren finally interjected, taking some steps to the side and slipping past the three. “I’ll have to take you up on that duel offer some time after I’m all settled in and when class isn’t ‘bout to begin. Sorry!” Each word led to the Slifer disappearing past the three and towards the front of the classroom. Several people greeted him as he passed, starting to confuse the brunet when he stopped by a desk towards the front of the class. By then, Ren was lost to his own thoughts about what had just happened – and where his poor heart had faded too.

‘ _I should be happy that he doesn’t… recognize me, but… it kinda hurts._ ’ He grimaced… only to holler in pain when his knee rammed into the side of Bastion Misawa’s desk. Near instantly, his eyes grew in alarm and he huddled to grab his injured knee. Ren was unaware of the fact that his newer thoughts had made it out of his mouth, but he could hardly care in that moment. “It **literally** hurts!”

“I can imagine so, are you alright?” An accented voice inquired, low and gentle as it was… was that a British accent though? Ren could not be sure, he had never actually heard an authentic one in his life time.

“Mm…” The injured Slifer whined in pain for a moment longer until he finally looked up at the Ra Yellow and nodded a little. Regret from his spacey behavior was evident in his expression – though it was a little difficult to pick out when he was crouched over in pain. He was certainly damning desk corners now though, they were always after people’s toes and kneecaps. The troublesome contraptions! Such thoughts angrily erupted through the brunet’s mind as he stood up straight again, clearly embarrassed. Who would not be though? “Yes, I’m sorry… you were writing something and the pen must have…”

“Ah, well yes… but it’s quite alright. I had to scrap that equation anyway.” The Ra Yellow responded with a shrug when his papers were mentioned. To Ren, the accent-carrying Ra seemed to be friendly enough, though he also seemed to be rather distracted. Bastion was, after all, one of the smartest – if not, _the_ smartest – freshman that year. He was also one of the odder ones (sort of). His hair was quite normal compared to most people in the student body. It was gray and styled backwards, away from his fair face, where a pair of gray eyes sat with a knowledge far beyond many’s comprehension. That was far from all though. The Ra was well build and tall… with an odd, six-rectangle impression on his chest. “So, you’re the new transfer who came today? I’m Bastion Misawa. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too Bastion. I’m Ren Mizushima.” Ren responded promptly, a friendly little smile upon his face. His judgment of the Ra Yellow was not _far_ from accurate… but the challenge that began to form within his gray eyes went completely unnoticed by the brunet. Well, until he said, “Class’ll start soon. I’ll see how bright you are.”

“Huh?!” So much for mere introductions. The transfer was beginning to question many things about this Academy (like how its occupants were overly competitive thus far) and its students… and professors, for that matter. Many seemed friendly, which was a grand comfort to the Slifer as he started tossing around introductions to those who addressed him. Would he remember everyone’s name? Probably not. But, then again, many of them would forget his rather quickly too. It was typical, though. Almost anyone could forget ‘vital’ details after departing from a first meeting! ...Right? Right!

Such thoughts made Ren a little more inclined to greet everyone and only actually recall those who had a kind face. Colder people were, in his opinion, stressful and more stress was _not_ something he needed at this point in his life (or any point, for that matter)! One of those with a kind face happened to be a gorgeous blonde named Alexis Rhodes. She seemed to be flawless in the looks department – gaining Ren’s full attention immediately when he stepped onto the floor near the professors’ stage. Alexis had long, straw blonde hair and hazel eyes that appeared nearly brown. Her skin was fair and body something similar to a model – which meant full breasts, defined curves, and nice hips. She wore the Academy’s standard Obelisk Blue female uniform (which had one of the shortest blue skirts Ren had ever seen) and stood next to a handsome man in a similar jacket to Chumley’s, only in blue.

Over the course of his observation, the Slifer had been subconsciously getting closer, wanting a better look at the pair of Obelisks. Ren was nearly mystified by the pair of gorgeous people! Zane Truesdale, the young man at Alexis’ side, was tall and slim with broad shoulders and a prominent chest. Like Syrus, his skin was pale and his hair spiky and blue, though instead of horizontal spikes, the navy locks just hung down his shoulders. Then there was those eyes of his, direct and pale blue. They were nearly fierce, unlike Alexis’ kind eyes and expression. …Well, and voice. It was loud and somewhat authoritative, yet still gentle, when she addressed the nearby Slifer (who had wondered a little too close to her location by that point). “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“Ah… y-yes! How did you know?” The stupidity of that question smacked Ren in the face after it was too late to rethink his response. _Everyone_ knew he was the new kid by now! Though, instead of just calling him an idiot (as he expected of an Obelisk), Alexis just laughed a little and continued, “I can tell a lost puppy when I see one. I’m Alexis Rhodes. Hope we’ll be friends. If you ever get lost, feel free to ask me, OK?”

That went over a lot smoother than many would have presumed, giving Ren an ounce of confidence and even a smile while he nodded. “I’m Ren Mizushima, it’s a pleasure to meet you Alexis, and thanks! …And you are…?” His peace was interrupted by the sight of Zane’s cold stare, in his direction no less. He could have swore he heard a small “…So you’re new.” come from him at some point before both his silence and glaring intensified. _That_ alone sent a shiver down the Slifer’s spine. So much for confidence.

“Zane, there’s no need to glare.” Alexis finally sighed (which luckily, for Ren’s sake, made Zane’s expression soften a little), “This is Zane Truesdale. Top duelist at Duel Academy.”

“I… I see… it’s nice to meet you then. Umm…” Ren stumbled over his words, bowing a little even, “I’ll see you around then. I see Dr. Crowler coming to the front to teach!” His excuse was plausible, since Dr. Crowler was making his way to the front, but it was actually just to get away from the glaring Obelisk. So he was the top duelist? He must have been amazing on the duel field! Ren could only guess what such a sight must have been like – or even what an actual duel against him would _be_ like. Perhaps this was something many of the students dreamed about. Surely it had to be, right?

While Ren thought about the possibility of dueling the school’s best duelist (and some of the impossibilities as well), he made his way back to the rows of blue desks and looked at everyone he had yet to greet. It was such a large mass of individuals from all dorms. Their hair styles and murmurs seemed to run together into a giant, common mass while the Slifer tried to pick someone out from the crowd. Anyone, at this point. It was incredibly difficult, though… everyone just seemed to blur together no matter how hard Ren attempted to separate them by their differences. …All were still, steadily, blurring though… except for one individual, though. This one wore a long, Obelisk Blue coat and had spikey black hair, pale skin, and what seemed like narrow black eyes. Little did Ren know, this was Chazz Princeton, one of Duel Academy’s elitists.

Something about him was nearly compelling, though. It was odd. Chazz looked entirely unpleasant to be around and there the naïve Ren was going right over to him… around the same time another Obelisk Blue was arriving on the scene. This one, however, was a female with a rather pleasant facial expression. She was rather distracted at the moment, since her first instinct was stopping by the ravenet and setting a hand on his desk.

“Chazz, _salut_ [1]!” The young woman exclaimed, smiling in an increasingly teasing manner. The addressee just gave her a rather dissatisfied expression before noticing Ren and growing even more unpleasant. “Whattaya want?”

The young woman, Lorraina Bellamy, looked somewhat surprised at the other’s sudden outburst and glanced in the direction he was glaring in. Ah, a Slifer. It suddenly all made sense! Ren was quick to see Chazz’s dislike for him and quickly grew awkward all over again. This seemed worse than Zane’s unexplained glaring for some odd reason. “A-ah… H-hi… I just… I just wanted t-to greet ev-everyone…” The brunet managed to stutter out, closing his eyes in the process.

“A Slifer slacker talks to _the_ Chazz Princeton? What nerve!” The Obelisk snarled, whisking with his hand. “Stop bugging me! Step off!”

Lorraina seemed to take some pity on the shaken Slifer and went right over to him, setting a hand on the young man while he began tearing up. “Ah, Chazz is just really rough around the edges _mon cher_ [2], there’s no need to pay him any mind!” She chimed, using her free hand to brush away Ren’s forming tears. The latter just shook his head, glancing over the young woman before him. Lorraina certainly seemed older than him by a few years. She had light brown hair – long and wavy, just barely reaching her waist though – and dark green eyes upon her tan complexion. The European appearance and accent of the young woman confused Ren for some time in his observation of her. After all, it was not every day that he had seen a tall woman who seemed to have packed on some extra pounds over the years. All in all, Ren seemed to slowly catch on to her hummingbird speech pattern and the French influence on her words.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“…Mmhmm…”

The Obelisk sighed a little and retracted her hands. “I’m Lorraina Bellamy, but my friends call me Raina. Look around for me, _d’accord_ [3]? I may be a third year, but I don’t bite. You’re new here, _oui_ [4]?” She continued, never once letting her smile fade away.

“Yes… My name’s Ren Mizushima. It’s nice to meet you Lorraina.” The other slowly replied, his hands clasping onto the hem of his red jacket.

“ _Et vous aussi, mon ami_ [5].”

“What?”

"Ah, sorry! You’d think after so many years I would have fallen out of that bad habit.” This time, Lorraina seemed to be the embarrassed one. She laughed aloud, some odd, almost obnoxious, laugh and held onto her round stomach in a vain attempt to keep a blush from appearing on her face – or at least to keep it unnoticed. “Well, I should be…”

As the Frenchwoman trailed off, she noticed Ren’s attention leave her and head up to a blonde Ra Yellow who was just entering the classroom. She had pale skin and short, strawberry blonde hair. It was obviously straightened, and the messy bun keeping up some of her hair in the back only made that fact more apparent. Her eyes were strict and cold, giving their ice blue color some meaning. One thing that Ren immediately noticed was the Ra Yellow jacket she wore was open, letting a full view of her white turtle neck and black skirt come up. Like any girl, she wore the short boots – though yellow – and had gloves on to match her dorm. Now, among a crowd of people, it was a wonder that Ren even got a look at the cold young woman. It even seemed to perplex him!

“That’s Luetta Garvin, the only girl in the Ra Yellow dorm. She’s a first year too, you know?” Lorraina softly told the brunet. “She doesn’t actually talk to anyone though. No one even actually knows what kind of deck she has!”

A baffled Slifer looked to the taller young woman with wide, brown eyes and a quizzical expression “But didn’t she do the practical exam to get into the school? That was supposed to be in front of all current and auditioning students, wasn’t it?” He rambled, looking back to the Ra Yellow. “How didn’t anyone see her?!”

“Well, supposed to be. Apparently she did her exam a week in advance, so no one got to see her duel. But, she supposedly got a pretty high score… just like you did, Ren.” The Obelisk looked back up to Luetta as well, raising a brow at the expression on the blonde’s face… Her stare. It was right on Ren.

‘ _Something about her just doesn’t seem right…_ ’

“Alright, class is beginning. Take your seats children!” Dr. Crowler’s voice echoed from the front of the classroom. It effectively quieted everyone down and gained their momentary attention. That attention was followed by the scuffling sound of feet as they rushed to their seats.

           

The class went on as if the presence of a new student was nothing but a spectrum. Professors would greet the transfer, only to go right back to their actual lesson plan. As far as Ren was concerned, it was better that way. He would, no doubt, be struggling to catch up for a while, but just putting in some extra studying effort was a no brainer. Well, it would be a no brainer if his attention span did not mimic the feet of a jackrabbit: constantly on the move. Even sitting there on his first day, he was unable to completely commit himself to focusing on the distant words of the professors. That is, until Dr. Crowler announced that they were done with the lessons for the day and students immediately stood and began filing out. A select few remained, shuffling between talking with their friends and actually looking over that day’s lessons.

“Ren, I’ll show you to your dorm now.” The blond professor announced from the front of the room. Said student looked up with tired eyes and nodded his groggy head. He was not entirely certain, but he had dozed off at some point during Dr. Crowler’s speech on dueling. The professor seemed to be more preoccupied with his mountain of papers rather than the bamboozled student – who had his own mission impossible on his desk – in the front row.

“Actually, I’ll handle it.” Another voice declared. It was not a very loud voice, actually, the man’s voice sounded somewhat tired and even had some Eastern accent to his vocals. The owner of said voice had long, messy black hair – tied lazily in a hair tie – and eyes that were hidden behind both his rectangular glasses… though they just seemed to be closed. He was a rather pale and tall man, seeming entirely innocent as it may. “Ren, I’m Professor Lyman Banner. I teach alchemy here, but I’m also the headmaster of the Slifer Red Dorm.”

Both Ren and Dr. Crowler nodded – though for different reasons – as the Obelisk professor made a hand gesture to the ravenet professor. “I’ll leave it to you then, Professor Banner.” The Slifer professor smiled graciously, motioning with his hand. “Ren, please follow me.”

_I was unaware just how much my fate had been altered on that day… but, in that moment, as well as the ones prior, I was unable to help the feelings of regret mingling with my nervousness. Had I made the right choice? Was lying really worth it? …Would it hurt those I care for more than help in the end…? After all… It’s Just a Little Secret..._

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, that was the first chapter. Leave your constructive criticism in the comments or PMs, I’ll be glad to hear so I can improve that way. If you don’t know the difference between a flame and constructive criticism, educate yourself before you bother speaking with me – I refuse to be harassed. If I find your commentary offensive, I’ll be sure to let you know immediately.   
> Until the next chapter!
> 
> [1] Salut: Informal hello.   
> [2] Mon cher: My dear.  
> [3] D’accord: Okay.  
> [4] Oui: Yes  
> [5] Et vous aussi, mon ami: And you [formal] as well, my friend [male].


End file.
